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Another day, another Disney reopening! As the world changes, so does Disney World, and today, we’ve got news of yet another change for ya! Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios Today’s reopening news takes us over to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disney’s Hollywood Studios with the return of a fun snack spot! Kat Saka’s Kettle has reopened in Galaxy’s Edge in Hollywood Studios! This beloved snack spot at Disney World has been closed since last year’s closures, so we’re glad to finally see this snack spot back! Kat Saka’s is back! The Cast Members were also excited for the reopening of Kat Saka’s Kettle! Cast Members! However, the menu is a bit more limited right now, with only the Buttered Blue Grains being available. This looks a lot like the Galaxy Green Popcorn we tried a while back, and both of them taste like plain buttered popcorn. If you’re looking for that sweet and savory Outpost Mix, you might have to wait a bit for it to come back! The Green Galaxy Popcorn at Kat Saka’s Kettle in Hollywood Studios! There are also a few drink options like the popular Bottled Orb Sodas! All of the offerings here! Recently, Disneyland’s location started serving up Banana Popcorn, which was a very unique treat that we loved. Hopefully, this new creation will find its way over to Hollywood Studios! Kat Saka Banana Chocolate Popcorn at Disneyland There have been a lot of reopenings lately! From the return of the EPCOT Monorail to the return of the Hall of Presidents, there’s tons going on right now around Disney World. Recently, the EPCOT monorail station closed again two days after its reopening We’re glad to have another great spot to grab snacks at Hollywood Studios! We’re always keeping up with the latest Disney news, so stay tuned here for more! Click Here to Read More about 7 of the latest Disney News Bombs! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. What do you think of the return of Kat Saka’s Kettle? Let us know in the comments! The post PHOTOS: Kat Saka's Kettle Has Reopened in Disney World, But An Iconic Snack is Missing! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Disney World is a favorite vacation destination for many — and a pricy one at that. Disney World When planning a Disney World trip, you probably have your mind on how much you’ll be spending. Between hotel costs, tickets, food costs, and more; Disney trip spending can easily rack up thousands of dollars for a family. Well, if you’re looking to spend as little as possible on your Disney trip then we’re here to help. Here is how to take your dream Disney World vacation on a budget! Getting to Disney World First up, let’s talk about getting to Disney World. Travel prices are a fickle thing and they can have a big effect on your vacation. For most domestic travelers, your first choice when planning a Disney vacation is whether to fly or drive. In most cases, making the drive to Disney World will be cheaper than a flight if you’ve got a full family coming. Magic Kingdom Line Keep in mind if you’re traveling alone or with just a couple you’ll definitely want to weigh those gas prices versus airfare. Depending on where you’re flying from, you might find that flying is actually cheaper than making the drive. This can even be true for whole families when it comes to nearby departures headed to Disney World. For airfare in general, we recommend booking early and keeping an eye on fares to try to catch a low rate. Flying to Orlando Still, if you are visiting Disney World from far away, you might find that the flying versus driving cost is a little bit deceptive. Though gas prices might sum up to a figure that is lower than airfare for your whole family, driving a long distance might mean booking another night in a hotel and potentially taking more time off of school or work. Keep in mind racking up loads of miles on your car puts a strain on your vehicle, including the engine and tires, so decide if the added milage is worth it. So, it is very important that you weigh your total cost of what the driving trip (including a hotel stay if needed) versus a flying trip would look like. Keep in mind that time is money, too. If driving means less time in Disney and more time in the car, you may have to factor that into your final decision. Click here to learn about flying into Orlando International Airport! Transportation If you do drive, having the added benefit of having your car with you can help make transportation a little bit easier IN Disney World. It also means you need to worry about parking costs. At this time, parking at the Disney World Resort hotels ranges from $15 to $25 per night depending on the level of the hotel you’re staying at. Parking Line Many off-site hotels do not have parking fees, however, if you stay off-site you will be charged to park at the theme parks. Typically this charge is $25 per day for standard parking. Theme park parking is free for Disney World hotel guests and Passholders. Plus, staying at a Disney World hotel will get you the added benefit of free Disney transportation. (ALL guests can use Disney World transportation for free, but it makes things really easy for those staying on-site!) If you don’t have a car you’ll find Disney’s free transportation is your best bet for saving on transportation. We love the convenience of rideshares like Lyft and Uber, but the cost of those rides can stack up and take a huge cut out of our Dole Whip budget! Parking Line If you fly, you have to think about getting to Disney World from the airport. Through the end of 2021, guests staying at a Disney World Resort hotel are able to book Disney’s Magical Express for free to get to and from the airport for their trip. However, the service is ending. So, in 2022 or now for guests who are not staying at a Disney World Resort hotel, you’ll have to factor in the cost of booking a rideshare or another travel service to get to Disney World. Make sure you consider either parking costs or any relevant Rideshare cost when determining how you plan to get to Disney World once you’re in Orlando. Mears shuttles has announced they’ll be offering a service (for a fee) similar to Magical Express soon as well. Disney’s Magical Express Those staying off-site also won’t have access to Disney’s free transportation at all times. Still, as we’ll talk about in a second, staying off-site can have its benefits financially. So, if you opted to save by staying off-site, you can look for hotels that offer free transportation to Disney World or consider renting a car. Valet at the Riviera At this time, car rentals are sparse in Orlando and you’ll find prices are higher than they have been in the past. This might not be the most budget-friendly option right now, but that doesn’t mean that it won’t be budget-friendly in the future. If you’re staying off-site and flying to Orlando, it might be worth it to look into the pricing for a rental car during your stay. If you can find a good bargain, you may ultimately save by not having to deal with rideshare. Just make sure you factor in those parking costs! Orlando International Airport Speaking of rideshare, there are some tips to saving when you book that Lyft or Uber. First of all, you’re going to want to have both the Lyft and Uber app on your phone. Depending on driver availability you might find drastically lower rates on one over the other. So, whenever you’re looking to book a rideshare go ahead and take a look at the rates on both apps to make sure you’re getting the best deal. Lyft In many cases, Rideshare apps have a wait and save feature that allows you to lengthen your wait times for a ride to save a few dollars. Those dollars can add up if you’re using rideshare a lot. We also recommend booking in advance to go ahead and lock in a low price if you’re going to be using rideshare during high-demand times like park open or close. Want to learn more about renting a car? Click here! Accommodations All right, let’s talk about accommodations. There are several ways that you can save money on your stay. First of all, you can always opt to stay off property. Many Disney hotels come with a “Disney premium” making nights there a little bit more expensive than you might pay if you were to stay in a Good Neighbor hotel. Good Neighbor hotels offer official Disney perks for a fraction of the price. Take a look at some of the options in the Disney Springs area! ©Marriott If your transportation plans allow for it, you can also look for cheaper accommodations further from Disney World than the Good Neighbor hotels. This might mean another hotel chain or even rental houses totally off property. In many cases, you might be able to find a rental space that is much larger for cheaper than you would pay for a Disney World hotel. Some rental homes even have private pools! This can be particularly cost-effective if you’re planning a multi-family trip. Many of these homes can fit large groups so you can then share the cost! ©Airbnb If you do want to stay on property, and you have Marriott points you can use your Marriott Reward Points to stay at the Swan and Dolphin Hotel so that you’ll still be on property at a much lower cost. That’s definitely something to keep in mind if you take advantage of the Marriott Reward system. Swan and Dolphin And, if you’re looking to stay in a larger room (for instance if you have a large party), you might want to look into renting Disney Vacation Club points to get a deluxe resort stay for cheaper. The Disney Vacation Club hotels have suites and regular hotel rooms available at typically VERY high prices (well in the thousands for some of the massive 3 bedroom villas!). However, using services such as David’s DVC Rental, you can rent unused Disney Vacation Club points from Disney Vacation Club members to book your stay in official Disney rooms for a fraction of the price. Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort Another reason to consider a Disney Vacation Club resort is that any one, two, or three-bedroom suite/villa comes with a full kitchen and washer/dryer in the room. This could add up to some savings if you’re willing to make some of your own meals and cut down on airline baggage fees if you wash your clothes while on vacation. This may not sound like a “vacation” for some families, but it could be a consideration for those looking to save those pennies. Beach Club Villas Kitchen Whatever you book on Disney World property, keep an eye out for special offers. Disney often introduces special offers that can save you a good chunk off of the standard rate. And, if you see a special offer pop up that applies to your stay AFTER you’ve already booked, give Guest Services a call and ask to have it applied to your room. As long as a special offer applies, they’ll be happy to help you get it added to your reservation. In certain cases, you may need to cancel and rebook your trip to get the deal. To see current Disney deals, click here! Park Tickets Speaking of special offers, the same applies to park tickets. For instance, if you are a Florida Resident, you’re definitely going to want to keep an eye on special offers as they tend to pop up very regularly. Sometimes, this can mean steep discounts or added days for little to no added cost. Magic Kingdom Plus, park tickets can sometimes be a part of a package deal you book with Disney. Some deals will charge you full price for your room but deep discounts on included tickets, which can often come out to be the better deal. Crunch the numbers for your family and see! So, when you’re looking at those special offers for your hotel see if any of them help you to save on park tickets too! Slinky Dog Dash When purchasing tickets, you’ll be faced with the decision of whether to buy Park Hoppers or not so that you can get from park to park in the same day. If you are not 100% sure that you’ll use Park Hoppers, we recommend waiting to buy them. You can add a Park Hopper to your ticket at any time so don’t add it until you know for a fact that you need it. Even if that means deciding day-of in EPCOT that you want to end of the day in Magic Kingdom. THEN you can head to guest services, and get that part ticket upgraded. Just keep in mind that Park Hopper will be added to ALL days of your ticket, so make the decision early so you don’t pay for days you’ve already used up! Click here to learn more about Park Hoppers in Disney World! Dining Dining can actually make for huge costs when in Disney World, especially for larger families. But, we have some tips to help you with that! For one, if you don’t mind skipping the table service meals it’s a great way to save money. Sit down food in Disney World usually = $$$$. Counter-service is so diverse these days that you can truly enjoy a wide variety of cuisine without ever sitting down for an expensive table service reservation. Woody’s Lunch Box In Disney Springs, you can even enjoy celebrity chef spots that each have some sort of counter service window or bar. You can enjoy the celebrity-created cuisine without breaking the bank or spending the time to eat a large sit-down meal. Try the walk-up bar at Homecomin’, Morimoto Asia Street Food, or The Basket at Wine Bar George. Remember, in Disney World time is money too. The Basket When you’re in the parks, we recommend bringing in your own snacks and maybe even meals to save money. If you just need a little snack, it’s a lot nicer to have a bag of Goldfish in your park bag than having to go and splurge on one of the often-overpriced bags of trail mix you’ll find in a gift shop. Mickey Goldfish If you’re flying or otherwise don’t have easy access to a grocery store, you can use Garden Grocer or other grocery delivery to have snacks, drinks, breakfast items, and more delivered to your hotel. The grocery delivery will have a fee of its own, but having access to these items could save you money in the long run. Grocery Delivery For the meals that you do plan on purchasing, price them out in advance! Menus are up on the Disney site with prices so, if you know what reservations you’re booking, you should be able to gauge how much that will cost you. That way, ahead of your trip, you know exactly how much you need to budget for food. Skipper Canteen in Magic Kingdom Plus, when you’re at those table service experiences, make sure that your eyes aren’t bigger than your stomach. Disney portions are big and in a lot of cases, they are shareable. Check out our restaurant pages here on DFB to see if we have reviews of specific items so that you can see those portion sizes in advance. If you suspect you might be able to share, we definitely recommend it. Chicken Masala Curry at EPCOT’s Rose and Crown Finally, we’ve said it before and we’ll say it again. Don’t spend money on bottled water in Disney World. Bring in reusable water bottles and use the water bottle refill stations or get free water at many quick-service restaurants. Bottled water in Disney World tends to come at a premium and those costs can rack up when you’re trying to travel on a budget. Want to see more info about free water? Click here! Consider Using a Travel Agent If all this planning and discount-hunting feels overwhelming, consider using an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner Travel Agency (we LOVE Small World Vacations)! Your travel agent can help find the best discount for you and apply it to your trip for you. Someone help me organize my plans! The best part — using them won’t cost you a cent! Using an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner Travel Agency won’t increase your cost whatsoever — they get paid a commission by the vendor (Disney), not by the guest (you)! They can’t make all of the decisions for you, but they can definitely help take some of that stress out of your planning. See more planning tips to simplify your vacation planning! General Tips! And before we go, we’ve got a few more general tips! Book in advance and pay on your trip monthly! Then you aren’t having to dish out a HUGE amount at once. Buy gift cards and budget in advance. Gift cards help you to limit your spending and you can even find discounted gift cards at stores like Sam’s Club or Target! Check Sam’s Club, Costco, and more to see if you can find a discount on tickets. These discounts can make a big difference! You can also save your cash-back rewards if you use a credit card to book your trip. Then, you can use those rewards toward gift card purchases, flights, and more to help save (depending on your reward card). If you’re in a position to get a Disney Credit Card, you can use that to specifically earn rewards dollars towards your Disney trip. And finally, check out the DFB Guide! We are EXPERTS in saving money in Disney World and our e-book will take you through EVERY. SINGLE. TIP. to help you keep that budget in check. Click here to buy our 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining! And there you go! Hopefully, this post has been helpful when it comes to money-saving tips for Disney World. As always, you can stay tuned to DFB for all of the latest tips, tricks, and more for your next Disney trip! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. What are your favorite tricks to doing Disney World on a budget? Tell us in the comments! The post How to Take Your Dream Disney World Vacation on A Budget first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

When Shades of Green reopened after their covid shutdown they stopped offering discounts. Upon reopening in Summer 2020 Shades of Green cancelled all discount offers that had been available before the closure. This included both their monthly short-term discounts and their always available long-term discounts. Just this month Shades of Green has announced 3 new […] The post Shades of Green Resort at Walt Disney World Resumes Discounts for 2022 appeared first on Military Disney Tips Blog. View the full article

Hello, DFB’ers! It’s been another super fun week at Disney World! Trader Sam’s is BACK! We’re still enjoying all the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival food and festivities, as well as celebrating the reopening of Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort (even if it’s a little hard to get in there right now). But there are a few other reopenings at Disney World we’re keeping an eye on, too — along with some menu updates! Disney’s Hollywood Studios Catalina Eddie’s Disney has not yet posted hours or given a reopening date for Catalina Eddie’s at Hollywood Studios, but some menu updates have come in, so it could reopen soon! Here’s what’s changed: Adding: Snacking Sandwich Cookie — Fluffy Vanilla Marshmallow sandwiched between Pretzel and Potato Chip-Shortbread Cookies covered in Dark Chocolate and Flaky Sea Salt for $4.99 REMOVED: Meat Lover’s Pizza Sweet AND savory!!! You can also get the Snacking Sandwich Cookie at Fairfax Fare, also at Hollywood Studios! Read Our Full Review of the Snacking Sandwich Cookie Kat Saka’s Kettle Have you been missing that fun Star Wars-inspired popcorn from Kat Saka’s? Well, you may be able to get your hands on it soon. The Disney World website is showing hours for this restaurant as of July 25th. Time for Some Popcorn! We’ll be there, so stay tuned! Here’s More About Kat Saka’s Reopening Magic Kingdom Prince Eric’s Village Market We’ve got some hours posted for Prince Eric’s Village Market, though — according to the Disney World website, Prince Eric’s will be open on July 26th at 11AM. And there are a few changes to the menu there: Turkey Leg no longer comes with chips and price decreased from $14.49 to $12.49 REMOVED: Mermaid Donut, and Chocolate Chip Cookie Mermaid Donut is no more! But the most exciting thing here is the NEW Mermaid Slushy, which is made with Frozen Blue Raspberry and Frozen Green Apple topped with Whipped Cream and a Mermaid Tail for $5.99. We’ll be sure to get you a review of it! Read Our Review of That Mermaid Donut Cheshire Cafe It also looks like Cheshire Cafe will reopen soon — the Disney World website has hours posted for the snack spot as of July 26th! AND there’s a new menu item here — the Curiouser and Curiouser Slushy. Cheshire Cafe Sign It’s a Frozen Lemonade with Fanta Blue Raspberry, topped with Whipped Cream for $5.99. Here Are More Details About Cheshire Cafe’s Reopening Those are all the updates we have for this week, but we’ll let you know if we see more! So stay tuned! Does Trader Sam’ss Still Live Up To The Hype in Disney World? Find out Here! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. What restaurant or snack spot are you most excited about reopening at Disney World? Let us know in the comments! The post 3 Disney World Snack Stops Are Reopening SOON! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Disney Springs is home to a TON of shopping, entertainment, and of course, food!!! It’s a great place to take a break from the parks and enjoy something a little different. Disney Springs If you’re heading to Disney Springs on July 25th, you’re in luck because there’s going to be extra special entertainment on the stage! Motown in Motion is holding a free concert at Disney Springs on July 25th! The show will start at 6:20PM and feature a wide array of Motown hits! According to the hashtag, Motown in Motion’s performance is part of the Celebrate Soulfully series! The series highlights Black history and features performances of Jazz, Soul, R&B, and much more! ©Disney You might remember Motown in Motion from one of their other performances around Disney World! Most recently, they performed at this year’s EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival during the festival’s concert series. Beauty and the Beast Topiary at the Flower and Garden Festival We’re excited to see what Motown in Motion has in store for us this time! We’re always keeping up with the latest Disney news! Stay tuned for more! Click here to read everything announced for Disney’s 50th Anniversary! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. What do you think of the latest entertainment to come to Disney Springs? Let us know in the comments! The post Here's When to Catch Live Music in Disney Springs Tomorrow! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

We’re constantly excited when we see Disney-related snacks at our local grocery store. Mickey Ice Cream Bar from the Grocery Store And yes, we’ve eaten our share of grocery store Mickey ice cream sandwiches, Mickey bars, Mickey ice cream, and more just to get a taste of Disney Parks when we’re not there. Perhaps one of the snacks we miss the most from Disney Parks, though, is Dole Whip. So what’s a Disney fan to do? Well, we were shopping at our local Kroger today and came across Lofthouse Pineapple Whip Cookies. So basically, a Dole Whip in cookie form? Um…Dole Whip cookies? Yes! Obviously, we HAD to try them — for science, right? So we bought some of these artificially-flavored frosted sugar cookies to see how they measure up. Do they taste like Dole Whip? Let’s try them! If you’ve ever had a typical Lofthouse sugar cookie, that’s what they taste like. Although the frosting has a slight pineapple flavor to it, it’s not really Dole Whip-like. We guess if you were just needing a pineapple fix, you might close your eyes and try to convince yourself it’s the same thing! But maybe you’d be better off making Dole Whip at home. Not really a Dole Whip replacement But, hey, it was worth a shot! And we’d be curious if any of our readers have tried these yet! We’ll let you know if we spot any other fun Disney-related food at the grocery store! Read Our Review of the Hocus Pocus Cookies We Found At Our Grocery Store! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! So have you tried these Pineapple Whip Cookies out yet? What did you think? Let us know in the comments! The post REVIEW: We Found Dole Whip COOKIES At Our Local Grocery Store! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

It’s time to catch up on all the construction updates going on around Walt Disney World! Cinderella Castle We are quickly approaching the beginning of the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary celebrations, meaning that many refurbishments are getting close to finishing. Plus, we’ve even seen some new ones pop up! So, we’ve got a lot to cover — let’s get to it! Magic Kingdom Jungle Cruise Work is still underway on Jungle Cruise in Magic Kingdom as the ride gets an updated storyline, new characters, scenes, and more! And, this week we spotted two little changes! The first was at the entrance to the attraction, where you’ll now find a brand NEW sign! Here’s what it looked like before… Here’s what it used to look like! …and here’s what it looks like now! It’s got a fresh coat of green paint and a helm instead of a mask. What do you think? The other update is on the ride when you pass by the Ginger Snap scene. Here’s what the scene used to be… Here’s what it looked like before …and here’s what it is now! The gators are still there, but the totem poles are now missing. Definitely a small change! These are just two of many updates that have already taken place on the Jungle Cruise attraction. And, we should be pretty close to seeing the final product as Disney has shared the refurbishment will be completed by the end of the summer! Partner Statue And, over on Main Street, U.S.A., the Partners Statue will be getting some TLC over the next few weeks! According to signage, Disney will be doing routine care on the statue and removing oxidation buildup from the patinated bronze which is described as “intensive.” Partners Statue Refurb The entire process will take place in multiple phases in which the sculpture is stripped to its bare metal and then cleaned before “reapplying a patina, and coating the entire figure in protective polymer and wax.” We’ll keep an eye on the process and bring you the latest updates, so stay tuned! Main Street Train Station Closer to the entrance, we FINALLY saw progress on the Main Street Train Station! Now, the Walt Disney World Railroad has been closed for a VERY long time (because part of the construction on TRON: Lightcycle Run is blocking the tracks in Tomorrowland), and while we wait for its eventual reopening, we’ve been treated to a view of construction scrim. Here’s what it looked like before! But, not anymore (kind of)! Disney took down the top portion of the scrim to reveal the Main Street Train Station clock so there’s a little piece of the building that has returned! Partial scrim removed! We couldn’t spot any major changes to the structure or design and for now, the rest of the building remains incognito under the tarp. TRON: Lightcycle Run We also got another peek at the construction progress on TRON: Lightcycle Run in Tomorrowland! Now you can spot more beams, poles, and blue netting on the exterior. TRON Lightcycle Run Disney still hasn’t shared an update on when this new roller coaster may open in Disney World, but there are still quite a few construction vehicles, orange tape, and more that suggests there’s still a lot of work to be done. Tony’s Town Square There are also a few smaller projects taking place in Magic Kingdom! This week we noticed that the sign for Tony’s Town Square Restaurant on Main Street, U.S.A. had been removed and replaced with a new one. Here’s what it looked like before… The before… …and here’s what you can find now! The design itself is the same, but now it is on a banner. The after! It’s unclear whether the banner is the new permanent signage for the restaurant or if the heftier sign will return after some touch-ups, but we’ll keep an eye out! Be Our Guest Restaurant And, Disney continues to update the exterior of the Be Our Guest Restaurant in New Fantasyland! Previously, we had seen the exterior receive a new coat of paint and now the refurbishment is a bit more obvious with scaffolding lining the mountain structure. Beast’s Castle is getting some TLC These small projects are all happening in the park as Disney does some “sprucing up” leading to the 50th Anniversary celebrations that kick off on October 1st. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Kilimanjaro Safari Over in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you won’t be able to spot Simba (well, lions) during your ride on Kilimanjaro Safari right now. The lion exhibit is currently undergoing refurbishment, so the animals are being kept behind the scenes for now. No lions out here today! So, be prepared for a bumpy and fast ride through the exhibit on your next ride. Disney KiteTails Last week we shared a first look at the construction beginning on the new daytime show coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom and there was some more progress this week! Now you can spot another platform in the water near the Discovery River Amphitheater. More platforms! The new show will feature GIANT three-dimensional kites in the shapes of Disney characters like Simba, Zazu, Baloo, and King Louie over the water, so these platforms may be storage space for that but we’ll have to wait and see! EPCOT France Expansion EPCOT has also been home to a lot of construction over the past few years and this week we got a look at the newest addition to the France Pavilion! The expansion area has partially opened, but the rest will be revealed on October 1st when both Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Le Creperie de Paris officially open. You can check out the new area from the Disney Skyliner and it looks like the streets are almost ready for guests! France Expansion Disney has described the area as Pixar’s Paris and it features lots of design details that are used when Pixar is making an animated movie! EPCOT France Expansion We can’t wait to be able to explore it ourselves! Click HERE For Our First Look INSIDE the Ratatouille Area in EPCOT! Future World And, one project did wrap up in EPCOT! The water beds in Future World West had been drained when we passed by last week, but the water is flowing once again and the reverse waterfall is back in action! The fountain is flowing again! The water bed was likely drained for routine cleaning (which is something Disney often does on all of their water areas), but we can’t help but wonder if construction on the upcoming Moana attraction could have been the cause. Disney Resorts Disney’s Art of Animation Resort The Disney Parks aren’t the only ones receiving some updates — we also spotted some work over at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort! This hotel is no stranger to routine maintenance and refurbishments (we saw A LOT of them earlier this year) and this week construction crews were working on the windows of a portion of the Finding Nemo section. What’s going on here? Disney hasn’t shared any updates on what work they’re completing at the hotel, but these sorts of projects don’t tend to last very long. Sometimes a window just needs some cleaning or patching up, ya know? And, that’s it for this week’s construction progress in Disney World! Be sure to catch us back here for more updates and news that may impact your next vacation! Check Out ALL the Rides and Hotels That Are CLOSED in July in Disney World HERE! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. When are you going to Disney World next? Let us know in the comments! The post PHOTOS: 11 BIG Construction Updates From Disney World This Week first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

As Disney World continues to open up and increase capacity, the wait times have gotten longer and longer. Higher capacity and no FastPasses means that there’s a ton of people going for those standby lines. Jungle Cruise’s Wait Time Today However, there’s an alternative for some attractions — going on a ride as a single rider! But it begs the question: is the single rider line really worth it? Today, we stopped by Disney’s Hollywood Studios to give a few single rider lines a try! These lines are known for being super helpful in cutting wait times, but we’ve noticed that the single rider lines have grown and grown in the past few weeks. So let’s see what the lines were like today! Disney’s Hollywood Studios First, we headed to Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster! Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster We hopped in line when the wait time was 70 minutes for the standby line. Single Rider Sign The line moved very slowly. There were many moments where the line was at a standstill, and several guests sat down in line. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is typically a quick loader, and gets people on and off pretty quickly. Although the speed of the single rider line tends to vary, it was taking a WHILE. Single Rider Line At this point in the queue, right after you enter the building, we had reached a 40 minute wait time. 40 Minutes at this point By the time we made it into the pre-show room, it had been about 50 minutes. Made it to the pre-show room! Here is where we had what felt like the biggest hold up. After we exited the pre-show area, we moved slightly and then stopped for a solid 20 minutes. Yep, about 20 minutes in the SAME spot! Single Rider Line Several limos went by before a single rider was needed. A few minutes later, we were called into a row and got to experience the attraction! Our wait time actually would’ve been a lot longer, however the majority of the standby line had been cleared, so several single riders got to ride together in one limo. We’re about the ride! Overall, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster was a rough single rider line for us today. The standby wait time ended up being less than the single rider line — it took us about 79 minutes to get through the whole single-rider line. In fact, after we finished riding, the regular line was down to a 60 minute wait! Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, on the other hand, was a very different experience today! Single Rider Sign Many groups who entered the single rider line were able to ride the attraction together, and the line was only 15 minutes long. It was MUCH shorter than the 90 minute standby wait time for the attraction! Moving much quicker! It wasn’t long before we were called into a group and we got to hang out in the Falcon! Smugglers Run This attraction does load very differently than Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, with six guests in each party instead of two guests in each row. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run Overall, single rider lines might not be worth it for the time being. The wait times for single riders are not at all guaranteed to be quicker than the standby line. Without things like FastPass+, which typically minimize the size of the standby and single rider lines, these lines can end up being just as slow or even slower than standby. However, there is the chance, like with Smuggler’s Run, that you’ll be able to get onto a ride quickly. Lines at starting to get long! A general rule of thumb that helps in these cases is seeing how long the single rider line is and whether or not that line is moving at all. Since single riders typically hold less priority when it comes to boarding a ride, you could end up at the front of the line and still be waiting a while. So, pay attention to how long the line is and how much it’s moving. Expedition Everest also had a long single rider wait time when we rode it the other day in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Expedition Everest Of course, Disney World is constantly changing and you never really know how it’s going to go! That’s why we’re always keeping up with the latest Disney news, so stay tuned here for more! Click here to read more about how 15,000 DFB fans would rank the Magic Kingdom’s Quick Service Spots! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. What do you think about the single rider lines? Are they worth it? Tell us your experiences in the comments! The post Are Single Rider Lines ACTUALLY Any Faster in Disney World? first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

When it comes to snacks in Disneyland, we not only love them for being yummy, but we also have to get the ones specifically for the Gram! Not so hidden Mickey Something Disney has done in the past is take some of our favorite snacks and add a nice little spin on them that makes them a little more magical, and we came across one of those today at Disneyland! We stopped by Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor in Disneyland and picked up the Firehouse Dalmatian Mint Sundae. But there was something different about it today… . IT HAS HIDDEN MICKEYS! If you look closely at the waffle cone bowl you can see hidden Mickeys instead of the normal waffle design on the bowl! All the hot fudge, all at once, please You might need a bit of luck to get this secret menu item. If you go into the Disneyland app to Mobile Order, you will see the typical waffle cup that we are used to. A couple of days ago, we tried a sundae from this location and got a regular waffle cup, but today we got the hidden Mickey waffle cup! Still the regular waffle cup in the app ©Disney You can find this one at Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor in Disneyland and the sundae is $6.49. Don’t worry if Mint Chocolate Chip isn’t your style, because you can get another flavor of ice cream or sundae in your hidden Mickey bowl! Perfect treat in front of the castle! We are suckers for the hidden Mickeys and love this little secret at Gibson Girl. Stay tuned here for all the snack updates at Disneyland! Click Here to Check Out the Red Carpet Premiere for Jungle Cruise at Disneyland! Check out more Disneyland Food Reviews Here!! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! What is your favorite photogenic snack at Disneyland? Let us know in the comments below!The post OK Disney, These Might Be The Best Hidden Mickeys We've Seen Yet! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Exciting changes continue to happen on a weekly basis at the Disneyland Resort! With more dining options returning to the parks and resorts, along with new menus, souvenirs, and more, it seems like the Happiest Place on Earth is constantly changing these days! Disneyland Let’s recap what we’ve discovered over the past week at the Disneyland Resort. Disneyland Resort General Updates The big celebration that took place over the past week was that Disneyland celebrated its 66th Anniversary! Disneyland 66th Anniversary Cavalcade To mark this special occasion, there was a limited-time cavalcade in the park… Disneyland 66th Anniversary Cavalcade …along with specialty cupcakes! The new anniversary cupcake! Disneyland always seems to have new and interesting treats popping up for special occasions, and we love that they made a special treat just for the anniversary! Click here to read more about the special anniversary cupcakes! Construction walls have been built surrounding Royal Street Veranda in New Orleans Square! Royal Street Veranda has not been available since the parks reopened, but maybe this is a sign that we could see another dining option return to the parks. Huge construction walls are up in New Orleans Square The walls also stretch into New Orleans Square and cover Port Royal Curios and Curiosities, as well as Pieces of Eight, both of which remain open during construction. At least they’re decorated with interesting posters! If you’re looking for more live entertainment in the parks, you and your kids may be in for a treat. We spotted signs outside of the Disneyland Theatre in Disney California Adventure announcing that the Disney Junior Dance Party will return soon! Disney Junior Dance Party is coming back to California Adventure! We don’t have an exact return date yet, but we will let you know as soon as we learn more! Click here to read about the massive app outage that impacted Disneyland operations this week! Disneyland Park Dining Updates Harbour Galley If you’re looking for something to eat and you’re in the mood for seafood, head over to Harbour Galley in Critter Country — it has officially reopened! Harbour Galley is open! Harbour Galley features menu items like Lobster Rolls and Clam Chowder and is located along the Rivers of America. It’s a lovely little spot in the park where you can grab a quick bite to eat! Lobster Rolls are back at Disneyland! Check it out next time you’re in the parks! Click here for our review of the recently reopened Harbour Galley. Churro Carts Disneyland churros are a must-get snack when visiting the parks (sorry, Disney World, but the west coast has got you beat here!). Occasionally you’ll find different kinds of churros pop up in new locations, and that’s exactly what happened this week! Churro cart in Fantasyland You can now get the Milk & Cookies Churro at the Churro Cart next to Casey Jr. Circus Train in Fantasyland! We’ve had this tasty churro before at the Churro Cart by Hollywood Lounge in DCA, and now it has hopped over the esplanade to Disneyland! Milk & Cookies Churro It costs $6.25 and comes with an oh-so-yummy Cookies and Cream dipping sauce. Click here to read about a tasty breakfast churro we tried recently at the Disneyland Resort! Beverage Carts If you want your H2O to come with a little something-something mixed in, look no further than the outdoor beverage cart in Tomorrowland next to Alien Pizza Planet. Smart Water with alkaline & 9pH There, you can get a whopping 1 liter-sized bottle of Smart Water, infused with alkaline 9+pH! Sounds like an awful lot of science and physics fused in with a simple bottle of water, but on super hot California days, it’s important to stay fully hydrated! Stay hydrated, friends! You can find these giant water bottles in Tomorrowland for $9.25. Click here to read about a new Cocoa Puff-infused coffee drink at Disneyland! California Adventure Dining Updates Carthay Circle Restaurant Another returning dining option for guests this week is Carthay Circle in Disney California Adventure. Welcome back to Carthay Circle! Carthay Circle Lounge Alfresco Dining has been around since November of last year when Buena Vista Street reopened to guests as an extension of Downtown Disney. But guests haven’t been able to venture upstairs and experience Carthay’s signature seated dining until this week! Carthay Circle Not only is Carthay Circle back, but it’s back with a brand-new menu! Gone are classic favorites like the Fire Cracker Duck Wings — you’ll have to stay tuned to see what we thought of our dining experience! Click here to read about the new menu at Carthay Circle Restaurant. Disneyland Resort Hotels Dining Updates Storytellers Cafe Storytellers Cafe at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa has been open for a few weeks now, but this week saw the return of character dining with the reopening of Mickey’s Tales of Adventure Breakfast Buffet. Character dining is back at Disneyland! Yep, you read that correctly — breakfast buffets are back at the Disneyland Resort! While we haven’t seen any buffets return yet to Disney World, guests can now experience self-serve buffet dining once again at Storytellers. Endless Mickey Waffles Weekend brunch is also served buffet-style. Guests can wave hello to Mickey, Minnie, Chip, Dale, and Pluto from a safe distance as the characters parade around the restaurant every 15 minutes. Click here to take a first look at the return of character dining at the Disneyland Resort! Disneyland Resort Merchandise Updates World of Disney We spotted a few new items at World of Disney this week. If you’re looking for new t-shirts, we spotted a couple of great additions to your Disney wardrobe, like this Tinker Bell Disneyland Resort t-shirt for $24.99. Oh so retro! If you’re looking for something a little less “old school” and instead want something a little more “modern,” we spotted this t-shirt for $24.99 featuring Minnie Mouse illustrated by a bunch of fun words! Minnie Mouse! If you’re a fan of all things Marvel, be sure to be on the lookout for this Avengers sweatshirt, available at World of Disney for $54.99. Avengers sweatshirt But sweatshirts this time of year are less common as fans are to stay cool! We spotted some new fan designs, including this “Too Cool” one with Mickey and Minnie… Too cool for summer! …as well as this “Moody” design, featuring Donald Duck! We can all get a little moody when it’s super hot outside. The fans retail for $12.99 each. Click here to read about a super fun Cast Member tradition that took place at Disneyland last week! Elias & Co. Elias & Co. is where we came across a new collection of Haunted Mansion apparel and accessories! The collection includes this hat for $27.99… Very stylish! …a t-shirt featuring the Hitchhiking Ghosts for $36.99… Beware of hitchhiking ghosts! …another t-shirt featuring Master Gracey for $36.99… Haunted Mansion Master Gracey t-shirt …matching leggings for $39.99... Haunted Mansion leggings! …fun denim shorts for $39.99… We just found your next summer wardrobe staple. …and a backpack for $39.99! Haunted Mansion backpack If you’re thirsty, we spotted a pair of new mugs that come with cute toppers! You can choose from Mickey… Mickey Mouse mug …or Donald! Donald mug These mugs retail for $19.99 each. Frontierland Mercantile We also spotted a couple of adorable tops in Frontierland Mercantile! This shop has a cute red t-shirt featuring Mickey and Minnie for $24.99… Mickey & Minnie T-shirt …but the highlight of this shop on our most recent visit has got to be this long-sleeve t-shirt that says “Feels Good to be Home,” retailing for $39.99! It truly DOES feel good to be “home” We’ve loved seeing the reopening merchandise at both Disney World and Disneyland, and we’re excited to see another apparel option hitting the parks! Click here to learn how your next trip to Disneyland will be DIFFERENT! Be sure to check back every week for another roundup of the latest Disneyland happenings! We feel like we say this every week, but there truly is something different being updated, reopening, or being modified for the guest experience at the Happiest Place on Earth. If you’re heading to Disneyland soon, read up on our latest posts and reviews so you’re prepared! Click here to read what’s new at Disney’s Hollywood Studios! Disneyland Reopening Details and Info Click HERE for the All Latest Updates Disneyland Reopening April 30th California Residents Will Be the ONLY People Allowed to Visit Reopened Disneyland Initially Avengers Campus Set to Open June 4th Click Here to See All the Rides That Will Reopen Initially in Disneyland Click Here to See All the Restaurants That Will Reopen Initially in Disneyland Disneyland Ticket Price Info and Blockout Dates Released Disneyland's Grand Californian Hotel Reopening Date Announced! Everything You NEED To Know About Wearing Masks at a Disney Park Join the DFB Newsletter To get all the latest Disney Park Closure News Delivered Right to Your Inbox Click here to Subscribe Are you planning to visit Disneyland soon? Let us know in the comments below. The post What's New at Disneyland Resort: Character Dining and Buffets Are Back! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Big changes are coming to EPCOT! A huge overhaul of the park is already underway with new attractions, shows, and restaurants coming soon. Epcot Reimagined ©Disney We’ve seen lots of progress lately, and Disney has announced opening dates for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, La Creperie de Paris, and a debut date for Harmonious! Today, we got an update on one of EPCOT’s other construction projects! Imagineer Zach Riddley once again took to Instagram to give us an update on the new Creations Shop’s construction. Specifically, we got a look at the exterior, lighting, and a new popcorn stand! The Creations Shop is set to replace Mouse Gear as the new shop at the front of EPCOT’s Future World. The new shop’s design and color palette will be heavily inspired by the classic color scheme of Mickey Mouse mixed with a futuristic aesthetic. ©Zach Riddley via Instagram (@thezachriddley) Similar to the Mouse Gear shop, the Creations Shop will feature a wide array of Disney merch and EPCOT exclusives! Creations Shop concept art ©Disney While we wait for the Creations Shop to open, there’s lots of other EPCOT openings to the look forward to, like the upcoming Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure in the France pavilion! ©Disney We’re always keeping up with the latest Disney news! Stay tuned here for more! Click here to read more about when Halloween decorations will pop up at Disney World! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. What do you think about the progress of the new Creations Shop? Let us know in the comments! The post PHOTOS: Take a Behind-the-Scenes Look at a BIG EPCOT Construction Project! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Let’s be real here…one of the best parts of Disney World is the FOOD. Time to Eat! But, with so many restaurants to choose from, it can be hard to know whether you’re going to a spot that’s full of tasty treats or a restaurant that you should have totally skipped. For Magic Kingdom specifically, we’ve taken a look at some secret eats, and ranked every restaurant in the park by dessert. But recently we turned to you, our fantastic readers, to get your thoughts on how every quick-service restaurant in Magic Kingdom should be ranked. What spot came out on top and what’s one place you might want to skip? We’re breaking down the results right now! As we mentioned above, we reached out to our awesome readers via Instagram and asked them to rank every quick service spot in Magic Kingdom. Specifically, we told them to give the restaurant a thumbs up if they thought it should rank higher on the list, and a thumbs down for spots they felt should be toward the bottom. Time to Vote! Note that this only focuses on the bigger quick service spots — we’re talking the main heavy hitters here. We left off kiosks and carts, and places like Gaston’s Tavern that have more limited menus. But you shouldn’t overlook these spots — sometimes they can have some of the most DELICIOUS treats in the parks — hellooooo spring rolls! Alright, ready to dive in and see where the restaurants fell on this ranking? We’ll start with the BOTTOM of the list. 5 — Pinocchio Village Haus At the very bottom of our list, and the only spot with MORE thumbs down than up (48% up, 52% down), is Pinocchio Village Haus. Pinocchio Village Haus serves up a pretty simple menu made of flatbread pizzas, salads, chicken strips, garlic knots, and some other items. It also has some fun theming and an AWESOME view of “it’s a small world.” Oh Boy While the Tomato Basil Soup here is a FAVORITE of ours, we have a so-so relationship with this spot overall. It’s had some fantastic options in the past, but now just serves up pretty basic eats, like a Margherita flatbread, pepperoni flatbread, and some other simple options. Recently, we haven’t exactly loved some of the items on the menu here, like the newest version of the garlic knots. Some Items from Pinocchio Village Haus During a recent trip there we had some pizza and other items, and we weren’t mad at them. They were just ok. If you’re looking for pizza in Magic Kingdom or have really picky eaters in the group, this might be a spot you could consider stopping at, but there are better options in the park (in our opinion and according to our DFB readers, anyway). Click here to see our most recent review of some of the items at Pinocchio Village Haus! 4 — Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe Coming up next on our list is Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe! At Cosmic Ray’s you’ll find some counter-service classics — burgers, fries, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, etc. There’s also an Impossible Burger here and sometimes specialty items will pop up in this restaurant for a limited time. The real star here is Sonny Eclipse, the alien animatronic you’ll find in the main dining area that sings some fantastic tunes! We love him so much we’ve even got a DFB Sonny Eclipse shirt you can buy from our store. Attention All Earthlings Cosmic Ray’s also used to be incredibly popular for its toppings bar, but that’s not available at the moment (though you can request some toppings when placing your Mobile Order). If you’re looking for a gourmet experience Cosmic Ray’s isn’t it. But, if you’ve got a hungry group of park goers, each of which is looking for a slightly different meal, there’s a pretty decent variety of solid food options here. Sometimes all you need is a bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a solid performance from Sonny Eclipse to make your park day perfect. That’s One Big Hot Dog! Still, it seems our DFB readers were fairy divided on this, with just 52% giving it a thumbs up. Compared to the next 3 on the list there’s a pretty big difference in terms of our readers’ overall opinions. 3 — Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe Third on the list is Pecos Bill Tall Take Inn and Cafe. And it’s a big jump up from Cosmic Ray’s (which only got 52% thumbs up), with 70% of readers giving it a thumbs up! Anyone Hungry? Pecos Bill is a massive counter-service spot that serves up a variety of Mexican fare including a fajita platter, chicken rice bowl, nachos, and more. There are also some burgers, salads, and a veggie option on the menu. This is another place that used to be FAMOUS for its toppings bar. It isn’t available now, but you can still request specific toppings when you place your Mobile Order or ask the Cast Members for what you might need. Loading up on condiments! If you’re looking for something different than the standard hot dogs and chicken nuggets, this is a pretty good option! When we grabbed a Chicken Rice Bowl here not too long ago, we thought it was delicious and surprisingly hearty! And it seems our DFB readers agree that this is a pretty solid spot to get some tasty eats at — but there are 2 others that rank higher on the list! Click here to see our full review of the Chicken Rice Bowl! 2 — Columbia Harbour House In second place, we have Columbia Harbour House, and really it’s no surprise that this spot ranks so high on the list! Columbia Harbour House has LONG been a favorite of many Disney fans. It typically serves up a menu that features soups, sandwiches, seafood, and more. YUM Some of the main classics from here include the Lighthouse Sandwich, the Anchors Aweigh Sandwich, and the Lobster Roll. We’ve also loved the Minnie Mouse Chocolate Chip Lava Cake and other items from this spot. Again, if you’re looking for something different than the standard chicken tenders and fries, this is a great spot since you can get seafood and typically quite a few vegetarian friendly items or lighter options. Lighthouse Sandwich And the atmosphere here is great, especially if you grab a seat on the second floor in a quiet area overlooking the park areas below. And it seems the DFB readers agree that this is one of the best quick service restaurants in Magic Kingdom. Note that Columbia Harbour House is closed at the moment but you can get some of the items from its menu over at Tomorrowland Terrace! Click here to see our review of the Columbia Harbour House food at Tomorrowland Terrace! 1 — Casey’s Corner That leaves us with just one restaurant left to take the top spot and it is (unsurprisingly) Casey’s Corner! Casey’s Corner, simply put, is a Magic Kingdom classic — it is a tried and true institution of the park. It’s a Home Run! Casey’s Corner is THE go-to place in Magic Kingdom for giant hot dogs with delicious toppings, corn dog nuggets with plastic cheese, fries, and a simple but delicious Baseball Brownie. We’ve always thought that the hot dogs from Casey’s Corner are some of the best that we’ve ever had. Corn Dog Nuggets from Casey’s Corner And there’s just something special about getting that food, taking it to a table outside or grabbing a spot on the hub grass, and eating your tasty treats in the shadow of Cinderella Castle. Load ’em up! Casey’s Corner offers all the Magic Kingdom vibes and couples it with warm, fresh-tasting, delicious food. At least in our books, it ranks as one of the must-do dining locations when you’re in the park! Click here to see our full review of Casey’s Corner! And that’s our readers’ ranking of the restaurants in Disney World. What do you think? How would you rank Magic Kingdom’s quick service restaurants? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments! Wondering what we think are some of the BEST counter service restaurants in all of Disney World? Check out our video below! And, as always, stay tuned to DFB for all the latest Disney updates, news, reviews, and more! Click here to see the best value quick service restaurants in Disney World for 2021 (no dining plan needed)! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. Do you agree with this ranking? Tell us how you would rank the Magic Kingdom quick service restaurants in the comments below! The post 15,000 Fans Rank Every Quick Service Restaurant in Magic Kingdom first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

The Edison in Disney Springs is known for imaginative dishes, fun cocktails, and live entertainment! The Edison We’ve had some over-the-top and HUGE cocktails at The Edison, but the latest set of drinks are for the biggest Red Bull fans! For the month of July, The Edison debuted a limited Red, White, & Bull cocktail — a mixture of Cruzan Rum, Tropical Red Bull, Coconut, and Raspberry Simple Syrup! This drink will be available through July 31st and will set you back $16. In other Edison news, the Disney Springs restaurant is set to host its Annual Masquerade Ball this August! If it’s anything like last year’s ball, it’s gonna have great live entertainment and delicious cocktails! ©The Edison If this cocktail sounds good to you, be sure to grab one before the end of the month! We’re always keeping up with the latest Disney news, so stay tuned here for more! Click here to read more about Everything Announced For Disney World’s 50th Anniversary! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. What do you think of The Edison’s latest drink? Let us know in the comments! The post Red Bull Fans -- You MUST Visit This Disney Springs Restaurant Before the End of July! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Hello from Walt Disney World! Spaceship Earth We take a look at all of the rides in the parks each week to find out the average wait times. EPCOT’s Food and Wine Festival has started and the final touch was put on this park icon as we get closer to Disney World’s 50th anniversary, so let’s take a look at all the average wait times in Disney World from this week. Magic Kingdom We start in Magic Kingdom, where Seven Dwarfs Mine Train had the longest average wait time (again) this week with 81 minutes! Where’s Snow White? Then, we had Splash Mountain at 72 minutes, Space Mountain at 63 minutes, Jungle Cruise at 54 minutes, Peter Pan’s Flight at 53 minutes, Haunted Mansion at 47 minutes, Astro Orbiter at 43 minutes, and Pirates of the Caribbean at 42 minutes. Pirates line In the 30s were Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at 36 minutes, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin at 36 minutes, “its a small world” at 36 minutes, Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh at 34 minutes, and Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid at 31 minutes. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Closed for a little bit this week! After that, we had Dumbo the Flying Elephant at 29 minutes, Tomorrowland Speedway at 25 minutes, Barnstormer featuring the Great Goofini at 24 minutes, Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover at 22 minutes, and Magic Carpets of Aladdin at 21 minutes. Time for a nap Down in the teens were Mickey’s PhilharMagic at 18 minutes, Prince Charming Regal Carrousel at 18 minutes, and Mad Tea Party at 17 minutes. Mad Tea Party Rides in the single digits included Liberty Square Riverboat at 7 minutes, Country Bear Jamboree at 5 minutes, Carousel of Progress at 5 minutes, Tom Sawyer Island at 4 minutes. Time for a show! Both Enchanted Tiki Room and Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse were at 0 minutes this week! EPCOT Let’s go over to EPCOT! This week, Test Track had the longest average wait time at 65 minutes! Test Track After that, we had Frozen Ever After at 50 minutes, Soarin’ at 29 minutes, Mission: SPACE at 22 minutes, and Gran Fiesta Tour at 22 minutes, and Spaceship Earth at 20 minutes. People love Frozen Ever After Then we had The Seas with Nemo and Friends at 14 minutes, Journey into Imagination at 11 minutes, and Living with the Land at 10 minutes. This is a BIG line for Living with the Land! The theater shows in EPCOT all had zero waits again this past week! These included: American Adventure, Awesome Planet, Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along, Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival, Impressions de France, and Reflections of China! Hollywood Studios At Hollywood Studios, Slinky Dog Dash (of course) had the highest average wait time this week at 91 minutes. Whoa! Then there was Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at 77 minutes, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster featuring Aerosmith at 68 minutes, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway at 63 minutes, Tower of Terror at 57 minutes, and Toy Story Mania at 49 minutes. Runaway Railway line After that was Alien Swirling Saucers at 35 minutes, Star Tours – The Adventures Continues at 25 minutes, Walt Disney Presents at 14 minutes, Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy at 14 minutes, and Muppet*Vision 3D at 13 minutes. Animal Kingdom And finally, we bet you could’ve guessed it, the ride with the longest wait time in Animal Kingdom was Avatar Flight of Passage at 118 minutes, wow! Can any ride beat Flight of Passage, just once? That’s all we’re asking! Then there was Na’vi River Journey at 50 minutes, Kilimanjaro Safaris at 45 minutes, and Kali River Rapids at 45 minutes. Giraffes! Expedition Everest had a wait time of 32 minutes, DINOSAUR was at 30 minutes, It’s Tough to Be a Bug was at 14 minutes, Triceratop Spin was at 10 minutes, and Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail was at 0 minutes. It’s Tough to Be a Bug That’s our look at all of the average wait times from around Walt Disney World this week! Some of the times are slightly lower than last week, but some are higher! We’ll be here to keep an eye on the wait times if anything unusual happens, so stay tuned to DFB! Click here to see why FastPass+ might not be back soon in Disney World Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. When do you think the wait times will start getting lower again? Let us know in the comments! The post Would You Wait More Than an HOUR for These 9 Disney World Rides?! first appeared on the disney food blog. 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If you haven’t noticed, the Jungle Cruise is one of the most popular attractions at Disneyland right now, and for good reason (and no it’s not because of a renewed interest in the back side of water). The movie is almost here! First, the attraction recently reopened at Disneyland as a reimagined ride. But there’s also a Jungle Cruise movie you might’ve heard about starring some little-known actors named Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Emily Blunt. Yeah, we hadn’t heard much about them either (just kidding! ). Actually, we are SO excited about the movie, which is inspired by one of the most classic attractions at Disneyland — it’s so classic that it OPENED with the park back in 1955. And Disney is celebrating the release of the movie with new snacks at Disney Parks, a Jungle Cruise episode on Behind The Attraction on Disney+, and more! World premiere, baby! Today, the movie will have its world premiere at Disneyland! We’ve already seen the movie’s two stars at the parks (and yes, we were TOTALLY star struck when we saw Maui and Mary Poppins IN THE FLESH). And we even got to eat some goodies from The Rock’s food truck! The park is getting ready for the big event — the red carpet has been rolled out! The red carpet has arrived! Soon, Disneyland will be home to a bevy of stars ready to celebrate the world premiere of the movie! Soon! Earlier, we were greeted at the Disneyland gates by Cast Members handing out gift bags. Cast Members handing out gift bags And they were Jungle Cruise gift bags to celebrate the movie’s world premiere here at Disneyland today! Cool, right? FREEBIES! The gift bags came with candy, too — one of our reporters got Skittles… Skittles …while the other got M&M’s. Okay, now we have our movie snacks in order! M&M’s There was also a special button commemorating the world premiere of the movie. It’s got artwork on it from the Jungle Cruise movie poster. FREE button! There was also an awesome card wishing us “smooth sailing” today. Postcard It was a nice surprise getting some freebies in honor of the film’s release — now we just can’t wait to see it! We know it will be super punny…er…funny. Disneyland Rides, Restaurants, and Fireworks Impacted By ‘Jungle Cruise’ Premiere Today! Check out more Disneyland Food Reviews Here!! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Are you excited about the Jungle Cruise movie? Let us know in the comments! The post PHOTOS: Disneyland Rolls Out An EPIC Red Carpet for 'Jungle Cruise' World Premiere first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Cirque du Soleil has a new show called Drawn to Life, which is set to come to Disney Springs! ©Disney Although the show has not announced a debut date, we saw something that gave us hope that it will premiere soon! Recently, we spotted a job offering on Cirque du Soleil’s website for Orlando, Florida. The posting is for a Sales Coordinator opening. ©Cirque du Soleil Could this be a sign for something to come? Maybe! Hirings and job postings are typically a good sign of openings or reopenings, so this could mean that Cirque du Soleil is gearing up for their new show at Disney Springs! ©Drawn to Life The show will replace the long-running La Nouba, a Cirque du Soleil show that played at Disney Springs for 19 years, ending its almost two-decade-long run in 2017. Earlier this year, Cirque du Soleil’s CEO Daniel Lamarre expressed hope that Cirque du Soleil would make a full comeback in 2021. Cirque du Soleil’s “La Nouba” With Cirque du Soliel’s Las Vegas shows returning, it wouldn’t be surprising if they were also gearing up for a premiere of Drawn to Life sometime later this year, especially since Lamarre has said he wanted to open the show this fall! Nothing official has been announced yet, but we’ll let you know when Drawn to Life sets an opening date! We’re always keeping up with the latest Disney news! Stay tuned here for more! Click here to read more about everything announced for Disney World’s 50th Anniversary! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. What do you think of the potential return of Cirque du Soleil? Let us know in the comments! The post Is This a Sign That the New Cirque du Soliel Show Will Debut in Disney World Soon? first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Spooky season will be happening in Disney World before we know it! ©Disney We know, it’s only July, but Disney starts celebrating EARLY. The first night of BOO Bash (which is replacing Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party this year) is August 10th. With that being less than 3 weeks away, and not a pumpkin in sight yet, we’re wondering when we might see Halloween decorations start showing up in Magic Kingdom. In years past, Halloween decorations were all up by the first Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. However, we usually start to see fall decor trickle in a few days before that. If this year follows suit, we should see some Halloween decor by early August! Last year, decorations didn’t officially start until September 15th due to there being no separately ticketed Halloween event. Halloween Decor at Magic Kingdom So, could we see those giant Jack-O-Lanterns the first week of August? It’s certainly possible! Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party The thing that could potentially push that back is the fact that Disney World’s 50th anniversary will kick off in October. Therefore, Disney will be balancing decorations for the anniversary AND for Halloween. And Disney, of course, already has a plan for their decorations! Halloween in Magic Kingdom Disney said that Walt Disney Imagineering teamed up with Walt Disney World Resort Holiday Services to create a BLEND of Halloween with the story of Cinderella! We’ll see special pumpkin coach decorations that will be added to the park’s “EARidescence” decor for the 50th. Cinderella and pumpkins just go hand in hand! ©Disney So, when could we see these combo decorations? Well, it might be in August, but it could also be closer to October when the anniversary celebrations are set to begin. We’ll either be getting early 50th decorations or late Halloween ones! Magic Kingdom Halloween As for BOO Bash, the Disney webpage says there will be “special decor, lighting, and music” to set the tone for the After Hours event. The lighting on Cinderella Castle will give it a “spectral glow.” Disney’s Not So Spooky Spectacular Besides those details, there are no other confirmed decorations for the Halloween season! We’re assuming the iconic Mickey pumpkin wreaths will be back around Magic Kingdom, but you never know, Disney loooves to surprise us. Halloween at Magic Kingdom In addition to decorations, there’s a lot of other festive things coming for BOO Bash like themed food, characters in costume, spooky cavalcades, and trick or treating! Jack and Sally! Remember, the After Hours event is shorter than Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and it’s more expensive. Tickets have already sold out for ALL of October, but a handful of dates are still available in August and September. BOO Bash ©Disney That’s all we know about when we could start seeing pumpkins and (fake) Fall foliage in Magic Kingdom! We’ll keep you updated if we even see ONE festive wreath in the park, so stay tuned to DFB for news! Click here to read more about BOO Bash! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. What Halloween decorations do you hope to see make a return this year? Let us know in the comments! The post When Could We See Halloween Decorations in Disney World This Year?! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Today is the big premiere of the new movie Jungle Cruise at Disneyland! The new film, based on the ride of the same name, stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Emily Blunt and will be out in theaters and on Disney+ July 30th. ©Disney After seeing Emily Blunt and The Rock in Disneyland yesterday with his new food truck, the Jungle Cruise premiere means some changes have to be made to Disneyland’s offerings, including a few ride closures, ride alterations, and changes to the fireworks schedule. Adventureland is home to some of today’s changes. The Tropical Hideaway, which serves Dole Whip, will be closed all day. We expect the Jungle Cruise to be affected, however it is not reflected on the website as of now. ©Disney Around the rest of the park, the Casey Jr. Circus Train will close at 8PM and the Disneyland Railroad will close at 5:45PM, according to the Disneyland website. ©Disney Mickey’s Mix Magic, the nighttime projection and fireworks show at Disneyland, will not have fireworks this evening in order to not interfere with the event. The projections, however, will still happen! Times are only shown for the projections part of Mickey’s Magic Mix ©Disney The lead-up to this movie has been very exciting, with appearances by The Rock and Emily Blunt yesterday at Disneyland! Today’s premiere is an invitation-only event, but the rest of the park will be open til 10PM tonight. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Emily Blunt were in Disneyland! We’re always keeping up with the latest Disney news! Stay tuned here for more! Click here to read more about the first REAL BUFFET to come back to Disneyland! Disneyland Reopening Details and Info Click HERE for the All Latest Updates Disneyland Reopening April 30th California Residents Will Be the ONLY People Allowed to Visit Reopened Disneyland Initially Avengers Campus Set to Open June 4th Click Here to See All the Rides That Will Reopen Initially in Disneyland Click Here to See All the Restaurants That Will Reopen Initially in Disneyland Disneyland Ticket Price Info and Blockout Dates Released Disneyland's Grand Californian Hotel Reopening Date Announced! Everything You NEED To Know About Wearing Masks at a Disney Park Join the DFB Newsletter To get all the latest Disney Park Closure News Delivered Right to Your Inbox Click here to Subscribe What do you think about today’s schedule changes? Let us know in the comments! The post Disneyland Rides, Restaurants, and Fireworks Impacted By 'Jungle Cruise' Premiere Today! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Happy (super-duper early) birthday, Walt Disney World!!! ©Disney Yes, we *know* the official 50th anniversary of Disney World isn’t until October 1st — but we’re just so EXCITED about all the celebration announcements that have been made lately! From changes you’ll see at the airport to a new cavalcade and more, there will be lost to enjoy during this 18 month celebration. Time to get hyped with us as we review everything Disney World has announced for its anniversary (so far)! EARidescent Excitement for Cast Members and Chracters Disney World Cast Members and some of our favorite Disney characters will be getting some new looks soon! Let’s start with Cast Members. Disney World Cast Members will be getting NEW name tags that reflect the EARidescent vibe of the 50th anniversary. The new name tags feature gold foil and some blue colors that are representative of the Castle turrets. These new name tags will officially debut this fall. ©Disney Cast Members who have received a Legacy Award, and wear blue name tags, will also be getting a redesigned name tag for the 50th Anniversary which will have EARidescent sparkles and holographic foil! ©Disney Next, we’ll talk about our good pals — Mickey & Minnie (and their friends)! Mickey, Minnie… Mickey and Minnie are getting NEW costumes! ©Disney …Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, and more of their friends will be sporting rather spiffy-looking outfits during the 50th Anniversary. Their new looks feature shimmering displays of purples and blues with shiny gold accents. WOW! ©Disney Just where will you be able to spot our friends wearing these new looks? Well, we’ll actually tackle that in some of the sections below. Click here to see more about the new looks these characters will have! Golden Touches and Refurbishments Cast Members and characters aren’t the only things that will be getting a special new look as part of the 50th though. First, Cinderella Castle has undergone quite the transformation and now has all kinds of golden decorations, jewels, and even a large “50” sign on it. *chef’s kiss* The entrance to Magic Kingdom has a new, matching color scheme… Entrance to Magic Kingdom …and the entrances to Disney World itself have also gotten an updated look. Welcome to Disney World! And you’ll find even more touches of gold and other refurbishments going on in preparation for the 50th anniversary celebrations. The Partners statue is under going some refurbishment in preparation for the anniversary… Partners Statue Construction …some areas in Fantasyland got a glow up (including the Tangled restrooms), and some Magic Kingdom rides will look a bit more sparkly soon! Disney has shared that shimmering gold leaf is being added to some Fantasyland attractions. Stunning! We’ve already seen some gold leaf touches added to Prince Charming Regal Carrousel, and we can’t wait to see what other golden touches come to other spots in the park. Click here to see some of the changes we’ve already spotted in Fantasyland ahead of the 50th Anniversary! Disney Enchantment Fireworks are back in Magic Kingdom, but Disney’s ready to ASTOUND us with a WHOLE NEW SHOW as part of the 50th Anniversary. Disney Enchantment will make its big debut on October 1! ©Disney According to Disney, the show will take guests “on a journey filled with adventure, wonder and empowerment,” inspiring everyone to believe in magic. It’s set to feature “music, enhanced lighting, [and] stunning fireworks.” And, for the first time ever, there will be immersive projection effects that will stretch aaaaaalllllll the way down Main Street, U.S.A.! Can you even IMAGINE standing in the middle of Main Street, U.S.A., with that perfect view of the castle, and watching EVERYTHING become coated in a blanket of sparkling gold pixie dust? Bye, Happily Ever After :'( That being said, we are going to miss Happily Ever After and its dazzling nightly performance. (We just got you back, HEA! Now we got to say goodbye, again? So bittersweet.) Click here to see when Happily Ever After will have its LAST performance! Click here to read more about Disney Enchantment! Harmonious But WAIT. There are even MORE fireworks we’ve got to talk about. ©Disney We were sad to see IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth leave the EPCOT scene, but now it’s time to prepare to say goodbye to EPCOT Forever as well. Starting October 1st, a brand new nighttime spectacular will light up World Showcase Lagoon in EPCOT — Harmonious! ©Disney Harmonious is going to be a celebration of our favorite Disney music like we’ve never heard it before. There will be fireworks, water effects, colorful light displays, and projections. PLUS, the Disney songs will be “reimagined,” according to the Disney website, in over “a dozen languages” by artists and musicians from around the world. YASS!! Click here to see more about Harmonious! Disney KiteTails Okay, we really weren’t expecting this one, but we are HERE FOR IT! As part of the 50th Anniversary celebrations, your favorite Disney animals will take flight in the form of kites, surrounded by colorful windcatchers, in a new show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom called Disney KiteTails! ©Disney The show will take place in the Discovery River Amphitheater and is set to feature characters (in the form of kites) from The Lion King, The Jungle Book, and more. Click HERE to watch the teaser trailer for Disney KiteTails! Beacons of Magic Remember how we talked about Cinderella Castle already getting all snazzy for the 50th celebration? Just imagine how it’ll look when the celebration continues on into the night…when it becomes one of the Beacons of Magic! ©Disney Each of the four parks’ icons — Cinderella Castle, Spaceship Earth, The Tree of Life, and the Hollywood Tower Hotel — will illuminate at nightfall. ©Disney We’re talking shining, shimmering, SPLENDID park icons. ©Disney Cinderella Castle will twinkle with pixie dust, Spaceship Earth will be covered in lights that will actually become a permanent new nighttime look, The Tree of Life will be surrounded in firefly glows, and The Hollywood Tower Hotel will sparkle with movie-magic glamor. ©Disney It’s going to be quite the sight to see at each of these parks. And work is already underway to get some of these icons ready. Specifically, we’ve seen several lights already being installed in EPCOT on Spaceship Earth for its new nighttime look. Need a game plan to tackle October 1 head-on? We’ve got you covered — just click HERE! Disney Fab 50 Character Collection Can’t get enough gold for this GOLDEN celebration? Then don’t forget to search for the Disney Fab 50 Character Collection while you’re in the parks! ©Disney FIFTY golden character statues will be scattered throughout all four Disney World parks. And Disney has noted that guests will be able to interact with the sculptures as part of the celebrations. (We can’t wait to hear more about what that might mean!) ©Disney Disney has yet to release all the characters that’ll be transformed into these epic sculptures, but they have announced a few including Mickey (of course!), Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Pluto, and more! We’re keeping track of all of the announced statues and will be updating our post linked below with the latest info. Click here to see all of the 50th Anniversary gold character statues that have been announced! New Cavalcade Want to see Mickey, Minnie, and their friends in their new 50th Anniversary garb? Then you’ll want to head over to Magic Kingdom to catch them in the NEW 50th Anniversary cavalcade! Hey There Mickey! ©Disney You may also be able to spot them in their new outfits at select Disney World hotels. More on that in a second! Check out the details for Disney World’s new 50th-anniversary cavalcade HERE! Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure The rat of all our dreams is FINALLY taking us on a wild (and hopefully delicious) ride in EPCOT’s France Pavilion through the Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure attraction. ©Disney Disney’s shutdown pushed back the release date of this 4-D attraction, but we’ll all get to race through Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure (based on Disney Pixar’s award-winning animated movie, Ratatouille) when it opens for Disney’s 50th anniversary on October 1st. Don’t tease us! Just like Harmonious, we’ve been watching the construction progress of Remy’s trackless dark ride for a long time — namely through the windows of our Skyliner gondolas. Though we were also lucky enough to get a sneak peek of the area! It won’t be much longer now until we’re swept away to Gusteau’s where we’ll be shrunk down to the size of — you guessed it — a rat to embark on a zany Paris adventure! Read more about Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure HERE! La Crêperie de Paris When Disney’s 50th anniversary rolls around, EPCOT’s France pavilion is going to be BUSY! Let’s Eat! ©Disney Along with Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, a new crêperie is coming to town — La Crêperie de Paris. La Crêperie de Paris This spot will offer both table-service and quick-service options, with a menu created by celebrity chef Jérôme Bocuse. YUM. Check out a sneak peek of La Crêperie de Paris HERE! More Food and Wine Festival Booths EPCOT’s International Food and Wine Festival began on July 15th, but NINE of the global marketplaces — where you can taste new and unique festival treats — won’t open until October 1st. It’s Food and Wine Festival season once again! The nine additional booths you’ll be able to enjoy once Disney World’s 50 anniversary commences are: The Alps Belgium Brazil India Ireland Kenya (This booth is new but serving up some returning items) The NEW Mac & Eats Booth The NEW Lobster Landing Booth Spain 2021 Spain Booth EPCOT’s Food and Wine Festival will be going on until November 20th so you’ll have lots of time to check out these new booths once they arrive, and (of course) stop by the other booths that have already become available. Check out ALL of the 2021 International Food and Wine Festival booths HERE! Disney Magic Makers One special thing that Disney is offering as part of the 50th Anniversary celebrations is a way for everyday heroes to win a FREE trip to the Most Magical Place on Earth! Through the new Disney Magic Makers contest, 50 Disney Magic Makers will win a trip to Walt Disney World Resort to celebrate its 50th Anniversary, along with a one-year subscription to Disney+! ©Disney If you know someone who makes magic for others and deserves a little pixie dust of their own, you can nominate them online right now! Click here to see more about the Magic Makers contest! Early Entry and Extended Hours Disney World hotel guests used to enjoy a perk known as Extra Magic Hours, but that benefit was suspended when Disney World reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic closures. But, if you still want extra time in the parks, all guests staying at Disney World hotels (and select other hotels) will get to enjoy Early Theme Park Entry starting October 1st! With this perk, you’ll be able to get into any park on any day 30 minutes early! Gotta Get Up Early! Guests staying at Disney World Deluxe Resorts or Deluxe Villas will get an additional benefit later this year. They’ll actually get to enjoy extended evening hours on select nights at certain parks. This is set to become available in early October. But Wait, There’s More! There are so many other things Disney has announced or is working on as part of the 50th Anniversary celebrations! Let’s go through them here. First, Florida Residents can grab a pre-sale voucher for Disney’s new 50th Anniversary license plate which celebrates the 50th Anniversary. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of this license plate will be going to the Make-a-Wish Foundation. License Plate Design ©Disney Disney has also announced that a NEW Coco scene will be added to Mickey’s PhilharMagic in Magic Kingdom as part of the 50th Anniversary. The scene has already been added to PhilharMagic in Disney California Adventure Park and you can get a look at it by clicking here! ©Disney || New Coco Scene Coming to PhilharMagic Want to see more of the Disney characters in their special 50th anniversary looks? We’ve seen the characters popping up at Disney World’s hotels sporadically over the past few months, but you’ll want to be on the lookout for surprise character visits at the hotels during the 50th Anniversary where our friends will be in their snazzy new looks! ©Disney But, the anniversary fun will start before you even set foot on Disney World property. Your arrival experience at Orlando International Airport will actually be transformed as part of the celebrations. There will be new art, projected light patterns, and more! ©Disney Other areas of Disney World are also preparing for the 50th Anniversary. The Confectionery is currently undergoing refurbishment ahead of the celebrations (though it is possible the refurbishment won’t be done by October 1st, but that’s subject to change). Main Street Confectionery Rooms at Disney’s Contemporary Resort are also receiving a new Incredibles-inspired look that’s set to be done (at least in terms of its first phase) this fall. And The Wave…of American Flavors is closed and set to be “reimagined” into a new dining experience in time for the 50th Anniversary. The Wave Love Snapchat? Then you might be excited about another announcement related to the 50th Anniversary. Disney partnered with Snapchat earlier this year and shared a peek at other exciting collaborations with Snapchat that are on the way, including a virtual transformation of Cinderella Castle which will create “a beautiful mosaic of special moments shared by our guests.” According to Disney, with this virtual transformation, you’ll pick your favorite picture to put on the castle and each time you return during the 18-month 50th-anniversary celebration, your photo will be there! We’ll be on the lookout for more details about how this will work! If you won’t be able to physically get to Disney World right away to get in on the 50th Anniversary fun, you can still participate from home by snagging some of the NEW books that will be coming out this fall! Some of these books will feature unseen park concept art, others will have recipes from the past 50 years of Disney World, and there will even be a coloring book! ©Disney You can already pre-order a special cookbook that’s being released as part of the 50th Anniversary right now! Click here to pre-order the Delicious Disney cookbook! And while we anticipated that there would be special 50th Anniversary snacks, the very cookbook we mentioned above gave us a peek at what one of those will look like — peep the 50th anniversary cupcakes on the bottom right! ©Disney If you’re looking for some 50th Anniversary merchandise, we’ve already spotted a new Disney Gift Card available in the parks featuring a 50th Anniversary design of the park icons. We have a feeling a lot more 50th Anniversary merchandise is on the way! Sparkly!! Want to win a trip to Disney World for the 50th Anniversary? D23 Members can enter for their chance to win a free trip, but you’ll have to enter by the end of the day on August 2nd! ©D23 And that’s a look at ALL of the things that have been announced for Disney World’s 50th Anniversary (so far). We expect more announcements will be on the way soon, and we can’t wait to hear about them! We’ll continue to give you updates as we hear more about Disney World’s 18-month celebration, so keep checking in to make sure you stay in the know! Check out Walt Disney World’s 50th-anniversary commercial HERE! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. What part of Disney World’s 50th-anniversary celebration are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments below! The post Everything Announced For Disney World's 50th Anniversary! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Disney Cruise Line is getting ready to resume U.S. sailings on August 9th. Disney Dream That’s right, after a test cruise earlier this month, Disney Cruise Line will be welcoming passengers aboard in just a few weeks! And just in time for the upcoming sailing, Disney released a new ad highlighting some of the experiences passengers can look forward to. The theme of the ad is “Magic Is Here,” and it shines a spotlight on a few Disney Cruise Line icons, starting with Captain Minnie herself! ©Disney The ad includes a peek at Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island, as well as some onboard experiences like dining, live entertainment, and the Aquaduck slide! Castaway Cay Check out the full advertisement below! We’ll be on the lookout for more updates as Disney Cruise Line gets ready to set sail from the U.S., so stay tuned for all of the latest info! Everything Announced for the Disney Wish Cruise Ship Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. Have you been on a Disney Cruise Line sailing? Share your experience in the comments! The post VIDEO: Disney Cruise Line's New Ad is Full of Magic! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

The cruise line industry has recently started to resume sailings following an extended halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Disney Cruise Line After completing a test sailing, Disney Cruise Line also announced that they will soon resume select departures from the U.S. as well. Disney announced additional health and safety measures as part of their plan to restart sailings. USA Today reported that due to a ruling by a federal appeals court on Friday, July 23rd, pandemic restrictions on Florida-based cruise ships are no longer in place. Last Saturday, a three-judge panel had temporarily blocked a previous ruling that sided with Florida officials, but the court reversed that decision on Friday, saying that the CDC failed to demonstrate an entitlement to a stay pending appeal. Disney Cruise Line The temporary stay had kept the CDC regulations regarding Florida-based cruise ships in place while the CDC appeals a June decision by U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday. Merryday’s decision concluded that the CDC can’t enforce the four-phase conditional framework it laid out to allow the cruise line industry to resume operations. The regulations can no longer be enforced but can still be used as guidelines. Disney Magic The lawsuit claims that the CDC’s multiple-step process to allow cruising from Florida is overly burdensome, harming both a multibillion-dollar industry and revenue collected by the state. However, the CDC said keeping the rules in place would prevent future COVID-19 outbreaks on ships that are vulnerable to the spread of the virus due to their close quarters and frequent stops at foreign ports. Disney Dream We’ll continue to keep an eye out for more updates as Disney Cruise Line prepares to resume sailing, so stay tuned for the latest cruising news. Disney Cruise Line Announces Return Date Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! The post NEWS: Federal Court Lifts CDC Rules for Florida-Based Cruise Ships first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

The Disney Wish is Disney Cruise Line’s newest ship! The tower on the Disney Wish Guests are getting hyped about The Disney Wish finally setting sail on June 9, 2022, and cruises are booking FAST. But how do the prices for the brand-new Disney Wish compare to the prices of the Disney Magic, Dream, Wonder, and Fantasy? Let’s find out together! Before we start comparing prices, let’s establish a few variables. ©Disney The Disney Wish will be departing from Port Canaveral over to Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay. So that’s the main port and destination we’re going to be using for comparison purposes. (Listen to us — we sound like we’re about to conduct a science experiment or something. Hee hee…) Mickey at Castaway Cay (look how cute and tropical he is!) We’ll be looking at the prices for 2 adults and 2 children for 3-night cruises, Halloween On the High Seas cruises, and Very Merry cruises. If you have more in your travel party, just plan on a price increase while you’re doing your own cruise-booking fun. ©Disney For all 5 Disney ships, there are 4 different types of staterooms available for you to stay in: Inside (cheapest), Oceanview, Verandah, and Concierge (priciest). For the sake of this “experiment,” we’ll only be looking at the lowest and highest prices we’re currently seeing on the Disney Cruise website — AKA: The “Inside” and “Concierge” staterooms — since the difference for the other two-stateroom types are usually a couple hundred dollars more than the Inside stateroom. ©Disney For example, here are the listed prices for a Disney Wish cruise for December 30 – January 2, 2022: Inside: $5,530 Ocean: $5,697 Verandah: $5,877 Concierge: $12,126 See? There’s a MAJOR difference between an Inside stateroom and a Concierge stateroom, but only a couple hundred dollars difference between the Ocean and Verandah. ©Disney Okay, enough of that. Let’s start the experiment! *Mad scientist lightning inserted here* New dining locations for the Disney Wish were JUST ANNOUNCED! Learn more HERE! Disney Wish We already gave you a sneak-peak above at what the Disney Wish prices will look like, but now we’ll look more specifically at the cheapest and most expensive offerings we could find. ©Disney Regular 3-Night Cruise: Lowest: $3,492 (Inside) — Sept 9 – 12, 2022 Highest: $12,126 (Concierge) — Dec 30 – Jan 2, 2022 Halloween On The High Seas: Lowest: $3,356 (Inside) — Oct 21 – 24, 2022 Highest: $6,519 (Concierge) — Oct 7 – 10, 2022 Very Merry Christmas: Lowest: $3,336 (Inside) — Dec 9 – 12, 2022 Highest: $10,629 (Concierge) — Dec 23 – 26, 2022 The Disney Wish Grand Hall ©Disney Looks like if you want a more affordable Disney Wish cruise, you may want to look into sailing during Halloween On The High Seas (or cruise during early fall, in general)! But the prices seem to get pretty steep around the end of December. All in all, the lowest prices we were finding for the Inside staterooms didn’t differ from one another too terribly much. You’re going to be able to do WHAT to your food on the Disney Wish? Find out HERE! Disney Magic We’re already breaking some rules from the “variables” established earlier! (Why even *have* rules if you’re just going to break them, right?? Oh well. We tried.) The Disney Magic isn’t porting out of Port Canaveral, but it does port from Miami and Gavelston. (We’ll just look at Miami for now since it’s closer to Port Canaveral.) There aren’t any Halloween On The High Seas cruises offered for the Disney Magic at the moment (sad day), so that’s why you won’t be seeing any of those prices below. AND the only Very Merry Cruises offered on the Disney Magic are for 4 days instead of 3 days — and they’re porting THIS YEAR! It’s a bonus holly-jolly day just for you! Disney Magic 3 Nights from Miami to Castaway Cay: Lowest: $2,863 (Inside) — May 5 – 8, 2022 Highest: $10,014 (Concierge) — Dec 26 – 29, 2022 4 Nights for Very Merry Cruise: Lowest: $3,180 (Inside) — Dec 2 – 6, 2021 Highest: $7,739 (Concierge) — Dec 16 – 20, 2021 Rapunzel’s Royal Table on the Disney Magic ©Disney Check out that early May price tag! If you’re wanting to book a cruise in the spring, the Disney Magic might be a cruise you want to look into instead of the Disney Wish (especially since the Disney Wish won’t start sailing until next summer)! As far as winter goes, it looks like early December will be slightly lower-priced — but the closer you get to Christmas, the pricier the rooms become. Learn more about the Worlds Of Marvel dining experience coming to the Disney Wish HERE! Disney Dream Head’s up, everyone! You can currently book a 2021 cruise for the Disney Dream! Cruises will start back up on August 9, 2021 — so it’s time to start those price comparisons ASAP! Disney Dream Regular 3-Night Cruise: Lowest: $2,556 (Inside) — Jan 21 – 24, 2022 Highest: $15,879 (Concierge) — February 18 – 21, 2022 Halloween On The High Seas: Lowest: $2,871 (Inside) — Oct 22 – 25, 2021 Highest: $7,938 (Concierge) — Oct 8 – 11, 2021 Very Merry Christmas: Lowest: $2,940 (Inside) — Nov 12 – 15, 2021 Highest: $10,846 (Concierge) — Dec 24 – 27, 2021 Disney Dream YIKES. That Concierge stateroom for February was the highest price we found for a 3-night stay throughout ALL the cruise lines — including the Disney Wish! That being said, the lowest-price Inside stateroom for late January was the cheapest price we found. Click HERE to learn how you can win a trip aboard the Disney Wish! Disney Wonder The Disney Wonder is our odd duck of the bunch (but we love it for that reason). This particular cruise line doesn’t port from Port Canaveral — rather, it has U.S.A. ports in Galveston, Texas; Honolulu, Hawaii; San Diego, California; and the NEW port in New Orleans, Lousiana! Disney Cruise Line Wonder Ship The San Diego, California port follows our established guidelines a little bit better than the other ports, so we’ll stick with that one for now. That being said, the Disney Wonder won’t be taking us to Disney’s Castaway Cay! Instead, we’ll be traveling over to Mexico on a 4-Night excursion! (Sorry, no Christmas Cruises for the Disney Wonder at this time! We’ll let you know if that changes.) Regular 4-Night Cruise: Lowest: $3,527 (Inside) — Mar 30 – Apr 3, 2022 (sailing to Ensenada, Mexico) Highest: $8,745 (Concierge) — Apr 17 – 21, 2022 (sailing to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico) Halloween On The High Seas (3-Nights, sailing to Ensenada, Mexico): Lowest: $3,278 (Inside) — Oct 15 – 18, 2021 Highest: $5,998 (Concierge) — Oct 9 – 12, 2021 Triton’s on the Disney Wonder Are you looking for a Halloween On The High Seas Cruise? The Disney Wonder has some of your best Halloween deals — especially for the higher-end staterooms! Sailing to Ensenada, Mexico looks to be the most affordable sailing destination, while Cabo San Lucas offers some price bump-ups. Take a first look at the Disney Wish staterooms HERE! Disney Fantasy Listen, the cruise lines REALLY didn’t follow our rules very well. The only cruise the Disney Fantasy has available that follows our guidelines is a 3-night Very Merry Cruise on November 11 – 14, 2021. The Inside stateroom is $2,953 The Concierge stateroom is $5,994 Disney Cruise Line — The Disney Fantasy Other than that, the Fantasy mostly offers 5 – 6 night cruises from Port Canaveral to the Caribbean. Disney Cruise Line We found that the other Disney Fantasy cruise traveling to Castaway Cay is a 5-night cruise that goes to Castaway Cay TWICE! (It’s another Very Merry Cruise on November 6 – 11, 2021.) The Inside stateroom for that particular cruise is $5,704 and the Concierge staterooms are a whopping $13,270 — OOF. Splish splash! Learn more about the new Disney Wish splash pads HERE! Conclusion So what did we learn from this experiment? We learned that the cruise lines DON’T like to follow our variables. HA! Disney Cruise More specifically, we learned that each cruise line offers different experiences, different timeframes, and sometimes different destinations. Honestly, we weren’t seeing *that* big of a price jump for the Disney Wish as we were expecting to find. Does it still have some of the most expensive offerings, even for its lowest-priced rooms? Absolutely. But if you’re wanting to see all the new offerings the Disney Wish has to offer, you may find the couple hundred dollar price difference worth budgeting for. It’s totally up to you! You just have to take the time to weigh out what’s best for your family and when you are planning to cruise! We hoped this helped make your decision a llittle easier. Remember, these prices are subject to CHANGE. These were just the prices at the time of writing! Interested to read about these new offerings on the Disney Wish? Click HERE!! Our favorite people over at Small World Vacations are ready to help you save time, headaches, and best of all, money, when you book your Disney trip or cruise. Their agents compare current offers to find the best deal for you -- they've literally saved their guests millions of dollars since 1996. Plus, their services are 100% FREE FOR YOU! (They're DFB's recommended travel agency, and you can see why here!) So book that trip now, then sit back and enjoy planning your Disney World Trip with a DFB-approved expert! Click here for a no obligation price quote today, and let them know DFB sent you http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/customemailexample.jpg Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Which cruise would you rather sail on? Let us know in the comments below! The post How Do The Prices For The Disney Wish Compare to Disney's Other Cruise Ships?! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

One of our favorite spots in Disney World is celebrating National Tequila Day with a special holiday offering! La Cava del Tequila There are TONS of awesome places in EPCOT to snag snacks and drinks. And even with some impressive competition, La Cava del Tequila still stands out as one of our favorites. If you’re looking for some yummy small bites or an incredible margarita, this cozy bar is definitely worth a stop! In addition to some iconic, fan-favorite margaritas, La Cava del Tequila also regularly offers limited-time drinks to celebrate special occasions. Specialty Margarita at La Cava del Tequila And if there was a PERFECT holiday for La Cava del Tequila to celebrate, it would be National Tequila Day, of course! Spicy Mentirosa If tequila tastings are your thing, you’re in luck. In honor of National Tequila Day on July 24th, La Cava del Tequila is offering a special flight of Tequila Tromba blanco, reposado, añejo, and extra añejo tequilas. Plus, it also comes with a special souvenir tasting glass! ©La Cava del Tequila The offer is only valid for table service at La Cava del Tequila, so you won’t be able to swing by the bar to pick it up like you can with most of their other menu items. You can grab this special tequila flight for $35 TODAY ONLY, while supplies last! Be sure to let us know which of the tequilas is your favorite from the flight! Review: Disney’s ‘Jungle Cruise’ Star is Serving Up French Toast and Tequila! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. Where is your favorite place to grab a drink in EPCOT? Let us know in the comments! The post Celebrate National Tequila Day at One of Our Favorite Disney World Bars! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

The 2021 Summer Olympics are began yesterday, July 23rd, in Tokyo! STK in Disney Springs! In honor of the special occasion, STK Orlando in Disney Springs has a special drink to celebrate! STK Orlando is a steakhouse with a modern twist! It has delicious steaks and a fun atmosphere, but sometime the price tags are just a little too big! Salt on the top makes this steak special! If you’re up for splurging a little on your next trip, you can head in to STK, and while you’re there, grab their new special trio of shots, The Podium! ©STK This trio of half-ounce tequila shots symbolizes the Olympic medals, with Patron Añejo representing gold, Patron Blanco representing silver and Patron Reposado representing bronze. You can get the trio for $20.21 (see what they did there? 2021?) at STK now through Sunday, August 8th, which is when this year’s games end! ©STK The trio is only available to dine-in guests! If you’re prepared to shell out about $40 for some mac ‘n’ cheese, you might need this Olympian trio to take the edge off! Keep following DFB for more updates on new restaurant offerings around Disney! Click Here to See More New Drinks in Disney Springs Now! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. Have you eaten at STK Orlando in Disney Springs? Tell us about your experience here! The post There's an Olympic-Themed Drink Special Coming to Disney Springs! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

The wonderful thing about Disney Parks is that EVERYTHING comes with a story. S.E.A. Room at Skipper Canteen Even the newest cookie shop at Disney Springs has its own backstory, but there’s one tale that encompasses almost all of Disney’s theme parks! We bet there’s a good change you might not even know this is a thing (and for some folks, it’s a BIG thing!). We’re talkin’ bout the elusive, mysterious, and sometimes familiar Society of Explorers and Adventurers — sounds awesome, right? Just wait til you learn more! So what IS The Society of Explorers and Adventurers? The Society of Explorers and Adventurers (aka S.E.A.) is a fictional (or is it? ) secret organization that you can find in Disney parks ALL OVER the world. And if you want to know what it’s about, look at its crest, which features a galleon to represent adventure, an armillary sphere to represent romance, a compass to represent discovery, and a set of artist tools to represent innovation. Society of Explorers and Adventurers Crest Cool, huh? Hong Kong Disneyland Opens A New Show! History So first thing’s first…S.E.A. ain’t real. Well, not real in the sense that these are real people and a real society. It’s Disney magic with some fun twists. But it DOES have an elaborate backstory that is pretty neat: The S.E.A.’s history goes all the way back to 1538, during the time of the Renaissance and Age of Exploration. All its members were explorers, scientists, researchers, and adventurers from all over the world. As the centuries passed, the Society began to expand. Society Member Cap The most prominent members of the group in the late 1800s include some names Disney fans might find familiar (but we’ll get to that later): Harrison Hightower III, Lord Henry Mystic, Barnabas T. Bullion, Mary Oceaneer, Dr. Albert Falls, and Jason Chandler. Dr. Albert Falls Since its beginning, the S.E.A. has continued to carry out its mission: “The mission of the Society of Explorers and Adventurers is to collect, conserve, and curate valuable cultural and artistic artifacts from around the world and make them available to the public in an artistically pleasing and sensitive manner. It is furthermore the mission of the organization to equip and mount socio-cultural expeditions to discover, explore, chronicle and protect the artistic achievements of human society, past and present, exalted and forgotten.” Time for an Adventure! Review: Lunch at the Skipper Canteen in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom! S.E.A. Members As we mentioned, Disney fans already know the names of many of the members of the S.E.A. because they are represented throughout Disney Parks all over the world. We could spend DAYS listing all the artifacts, photos, books, etc. found at Disney properties that refer to these characters, but we’ll just stick with their main locations for now. And there are a lot of members (including honorary ones), so we’ll stick with the most well-known. Harrison Hightower III Harrison Hightower III was the builder of Hotel Hightower and an antiquities collector at the Tower of Terror at Tokyo DisneySea. Tokyo DisneySea’s Tower of Terror He mysteriously disappeared on December 31, 1899, after acquiring (actually, he STOLE) the idol Shiriki Utundu. Let’s just say he wasn’t always a nice guy — most of his artifacts were gained by nefarious means. After entering an elevator with the mysterious idol, he disappeared (DUN DUN!) and only the idol remained! Now, he’s the ghost haunting Hightower Hotel in Tokyo DisneySea and that little idol is terrorizing guests in the hotel. Maybe don’t use this elevator? The character also bears a striking resemblance to Imagineer Joe Rohde (perhaps a relative?). Harrison Hightower III Acccccctually — it IS Joe Rohde. Well, kinda. Thanks to Disney+’s Behind the Attraction, we know the famed Imagineer, probably best known for overseeing the design of Animal Kingdom, lent his appearance in the designing of a corbel on the outside of the building. Imagineers thought his face was particularly scowly and would look ominous on the building. A few dozen corbels later, he had essentially been cast as Hightower and was placed all over the ride including in filmed portions seen on the ride. Lord Henry Mystic Lord Henry Mystic is the good-hearted owner of Hong Kong Disneyland’s Mystic Manor, Hong Kong Disneyland’s version of The Haunted Mansion. It’s NOTHING like the Mansions you might be used to! It’s Mystic’s voice you hear during the pre-show. Mystic Manor in Hong Kong Disneyland He built this majestic victorian manor to showcase all of the treasures and artifacts that he has collected during his adventures and loves to showcase them for anyone willing to journey to his manor. There are also several portraits of him in the manor, and guests can spot him at the beginning and end of the ride in the cataloging room. Also, he really loved his pet monkey. Lord Henry Mystic Like REALLY loved this monkey. After rescuing this young monkey, the two became lifelong companions, and Lord Henry Mystic named him Albert, after one of his favorite uncles. Dr. Albert Falls If you’ve taken a trek to see the infamous “8th Wonder of the World” on The Jungle Cruise, you no doubt have at least HEAR of this member of S.E.A.. After all…Schweitzer Falls is named after the noted explorer that discovered it Dr. Albert Falls! (Oh Jungle Cruise, we heart your dad jokes.) A True Wonder of the World This explorer was the one who established the Jungle Navigation Company and the skippers navigating these jungle rivers honor his legacy by continuing each tour with his historic humor. Funny side note, though: he was first mentioned in the Jungle Cruise as a joke, but he became an established character with the opening of the Jungle Navigation Co., Ltd. Skipper Canteen in Disney World, and there’s evidence of him and his life all over that restaurant. Dr. Albert Falls The restaurant is loaded with Falls family artifacts and, most notably, a SECRET S.E.A. meeting room (don’t worry, we’ll show you more of that in just a bit!). His granddaughter Alberta Falls is running the show now both at the Jungle Cruise and at Skipper Canteen! Keep an ear out for her next time you’re in the restaurant. Mary Oceaneer Hints of Captain Mary Oceaneer can be found aboard Disney Cruise Line’s Wonder and Magic, as well as the Miss Adventure Falls ride at Disney World’s Typhoon Lagoon. Her claim to S.E.A. fame was her commitment to deep-sea diving and treasure hunting. The Oceaneer Lab on the Disney ships the Wonder and the Magic were modeled after her ship, the RV Oceaneer Lab. Mary Oceaneer Like any sea-faring wanderer, she had a pet parrot named Salty. OF COURSE! Barnabas T. Bullion Barnabas T. Bullion was born into wealth and obsessed with gold. He is the founder and president of Big Thunder Mining Company — his portrait hangs in the queue of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at both Disney World AND Disneyland. He and fellow S.E.A. adventurer, John Chandler, went on an expedition to find the lost city of gold, El Dorado, and that was the last anyone in the S.E.A saw of Barnabas T. Bullion. Mr. Bullion ©Disney Fans of Imagineering might notice he bears a striking resemblance to Tony Baxter — the Imagineer responsible for dreaming up Big Thunder Mountain Railroad! What a coincidence, eh? Jason Chandler Jason Chandler is actually from an unbuilt Disneyland idea, Discovery Bay. (That was Barnabas…I mean, Tony Baxter’s brainchild as well!) He was a brilliant inventor and also served as the Society president for a time. He also has ties to early versions of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, having invented a powerful drilling machine. Big Thunder Railroad Mountain He and Barnabas T. Boullion enjoyed a close friendship and collaborated on several ideas for Big Thunder Mountain — pay attention in the queue at Magic Kingdom’s version of the ride and you just might see letters from him. Jock Lindsey EVERYONE knows Jock Lindsey, right? We mean, we hang out at his bar (Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar in Disney Springs) every chance we can get! He was an American aviator and his claim to fame is that he was the airplane pilot hired by famed explorer (yet…not a member of S.E.A….hmmm.) Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark. This aeronautical adventurer took on dangerous expeditions and performed death-defying stunts in airshows. We’re just going to go hang out with Jock. His aerial prowess earned him a place in this special society. Also, he has a pet boa constrictor named Reggie. (As you can imagine, that did NOT go over well flying with Indy!) Camellia Falco Last but not least, one of the most notable members of the S.E.A. is Camellia Falco, who was the first female member of the organization (you go, girl!). She was born into a family of aerial adventurers and became a renowned aviatrix herself. She created a plane, modeled after Leonardo da Vinci’s work called the Dream Flyer, which plays an integral role in Tokyo DisneySea’s Soaring: Fantastic Flight! Soaring: Fantastic Flight Girl is fierce — she has a pet falcon and everything! There have been many members throughout the organization’s long history, but these are the members with the most representation in the parks. We could make this article into a novel covering the history of famed characters like Merriweather Adam Pleasure (not surprisingly, he could be found back in the day at Pleasure Island and the Grand Floridian is rumored to be one of his homes!) or Professor Garret Reed, a S.E.A. member turned villain who was stripped of his membership. (Lore for S.E.A. goes DEEP, guys.) Be sure to pay attention in queues, at restaurants, and pretty much everywhere else to find hints of them! There were honorary members, too, such as Leonardo DaVinci, Marco Polo, and Ferdinand Magellan, among others. Important Park Hour Changes Coming To Tokyo Disneyland Resort Soon The REAL Story So the REAL story behind the S.E.A. (as much as we hate admitting that Disney stuff isn’t real) goes back to 2001 to the Fortress Explorations attraction at Tokyo DisneySea. The real S.E.A. fun started in 2013 when Pleasure Island in Disney World closed. This included the closure of the Adventurer’s Club, the heavily themed “secret” society lounge that inspired this whole thing to begin with! When Pleasure Island closed, the props and “artifacts” from the Adventurer’s Club were scattered all around the Disney Parks worldwide! Mystic Manor at Hong Kong Disneyland And yes, if you happen to see portraits around Disney properties and think those characters look VERY familiar — well that’s because they are caricatures of some of Disney’s Imagineers, as we previously mentioned. Joe Rohde, we see you (maybe he didn’t retire — maybe it’s just a ruse so he can continue his S.E.A. adventures!). There’s something familiar about these faces… In 2016, Disney confirmed that it is committed to continuing the legacy of the S.E.A., so it’s likely you’ll see these characters in a lot of new places eventually, including on TV (hang on and we’ll get to that). A Retiring Icon: Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde’s Greatest Hits Appearances We’ve already mentioned some of the main appearances of the most iconic members of the S.E.A., and, well, if we mentioned EVERYTHING, you would be reading FOR DAYS. There are literally hundreds of little artifacts, clothing items, patches, badges, letters, etc. in Disney Parks that reference the organization. And where’s the fun in it if we tell you where they all are? But we’ll do our best to get you started on your hunt for the S.E.A.. Tokyo DisneySea The original headquarters of the society is at the Fortress Explorations attraction, which is also where new members get inducted. Camellia! ©Tokyo DisneySea You can also find a S.E.A. office at Magellan’s Restaurant (obviously, as Magellan IS an honorary member). Look at the plates at Magellan’s! The Museum of Fantastic Flight, aka Soaring: Fantastic Flight has portraits of Camellia, including one of her at her initiation with Jason Chandler and Lord Henry Mystic. And, as we previously mentioned, the Tower of Terror is the final haunting place of Harrison Hightower III. Fantasy Springs Announced As Name of New Themed Port for Tokyo DisneySea Hong Kong Disneyland We told you about Mystic Manor, owned by Lord Henry Mystic. But you can also find some references to the S.E.A. in Adventureland during Halloween events. In 2014, the Horrors of the Amazon stage show focused on a man who wanted to join the organization. Artifacts from Mystic Manor The Halloween Jungle Cruise overlay, Curse of the Emerald Trinity, is all about a man kicked out of the S.E.A. for his greed and unhealthy desire for forbidden objects (remember that Professor Reed we mentioned above? Yeah. That guy!). Didn’t we already warn you people about that?!?!?!?! A Lunar New Year Recipe from Hong Kong Disneyland! Walt Disney World There are references to the S.E.A. ALLLLLLL over Disney World, including Magic Kingdom! Barnabas T. Bullion, along with Jason Chandler, is mentioned in letters as a S.E.A. member in the queue of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. And new nods to the Society popped up recently in the queue for the Jungle Cruise. SEA Box If you happen to dine at Skipper Canteen, ask about the S.E.A. meeting room (hint: it’s hidden behind the library). Welcome to the “secret” S.E.A. Room! You can also see club fezzes from members there! There are also maps as drawn by Mary Oceaneer and Jason Chandler hanging on the restaurant’s walls. And if you look closely at the books in the library, you’ll notice that some were penned by S.E.A. members! Look at the books! The entirety of Skipper Canteen is essentially a big nod to S.E.A., especially member Albert and Alberta Falls! At Typhoon Lagoon, Miss Adventure Falls is based on Mary Oceaneer’s story! You’ll see signs of her (quite literally) all over the water park. Miss Adventure Falls If you’ve been to EPCOT’s U.K. Pavilion and checked out the Kidcot station there, you’ll notice the station is a library of the “Royal Adventurer’s Society.” In that library is a book called “Society of Explorers and Adventurers Handbook,” as well as copies of books found at Skipper Canteen. This pavilion has a special library AbracadaBar We already LOVE the mysterious vibe of AbracadaBar at Disney’s Boardwalk Inn, but it’s also got a S.E.A. affiliation! Which totally makes sense, given the bar’s theme. The story goes that on Friday the 13th, September 1940, every magician inside the bar disappeared! SPOOKY. Not JUST magicians… Among the props left behind is a S.E.A. Fez, so, apparently, a member was one of those missing magicians. Why do we have a feeling the S.E.A. knows more about this incident than they’ve let on? Disney Restaurant Review: Is Disney World’s AbracadaBar Worth the Walk? Disneyland But wait! We’re not done yet. Over in Anaheim, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad has a portrait of Barnabas T. Bullion, as well as cargo being sent to Jason Chandler. The Tropical Hideaway has a canoe paddle display with names of S.E.A. members on them as well. LOTS of members have contributed paddles here!! Check out the names on these oars next time you’re here! Bengal Barbecue doesn’t just serve delicious grilled skewers, it was once an outpost for S.E.A., at least according to a portrait hanging on its wall. There’s also a photograph that has Lord Henry Mystic’s monkey on it, along with another photo of Dr. Albert Falls. Stop here for a skewer and a side of ADVENTURE! The newly renovated Jungle Cruise added some new faces, new jokes, and new references to the S.E.A. See if you can spot one of the newest society members, Dr. Kon Chunoksuke trying to escape an agitated rhino! Dr. Chunoksuke, is that you? The additions and tweaks to this classic attraction have us riding and re-riding to take it all in. As we absorb all of the details, we may find more S.E.A. nods! REVIEW! We’re Whipping Into The Tropical Hideaway For the Next Indiana Jones-Themed Treat in Disneyland! Disneyland Paris One piece of luggage near the entry signs for Colonel Hathi’s Pizza Outpost (formerly the Explorers Club Restaurant) has a S.E.A. sticker on it. Colonel Hathi’s Pizza Outpost ©Disney Cafe Hyperion is a large hanger in which lesser-known S.E.A. member Captain Brieux has docked his airship, the Hyperion. Guests can actually eat beneath the airship surrounded by displays of where the Captain has been. Disneyland Paris CANCELS Select 2021 Events Disney Cruise Line The Disney Magic and Disney Wonder ships have numerous portraits of Mary Oceaneer, usually with her parrot. You can also see her diving suit on display in the Oceaneer Lab, along with the treasure she found on Castaway Cay. Welcome to the Oceaneer Lab! There’s also a portrait of Lord Henry Mystic in the lab, as well as a newspaper article about the disappearance of Harrison Hightower III (remember our warning about stealing cursed objects!)! Fun nods to S.E.A. can be found all around Castaway Cay as well! NEWS: Disney Cruise Line Hopes to Resume Limited Operations This Fall TV Series Okay, so here’s something NEW to get excited about. We recently learned that an entire universe of TV shows are in development at Disney+ revolving around the Magic Kingdom. The first project? The Society of Explorers and Adventurers! Disney+ Logo ©Disney We don’t have word on how far along in the development process the series is, but we can’t wait to see our favorite explorers and adventurers on TV! So there you have it — we hope you enjoyed learning more about the S.E.A. and are eagerly awaiting the new TV series about the organization. And just think — you’ll be WAY ahead of the game when the show starts because you’ll already know all this stuff! To quote Maui — you’re welcome! Everything CONFIRMED to Open in Disney World in 2021 Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. Have you heard of the Society of Explorers and Adventurers before? Let us know in the comments! The post How Much Do YOU Know About Disney's SECRET Society? first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article